Lead acid battery plate or electrode formation and battery charging can be considered a form of plating. The plates or electrodes of lead acid batteries are formulated as a paste and pressed into a grid forming the plate. The grid composition is mainly hard lead and the paste is proprietory to the battery manufacture. The result of the plate or electrode manufacturing process is positive and negative type plates. The plates are then submerged in a weak solution of sulfuric acid for electroformation. The container can be either a large tank or the actual battery box, using the actual battery box which is the subject or intent of this invention the battery appears to be complete in appearance. These batteries can be called green because when the electrolite (sulfuric acid and water H.sub.2 SO.sub.4 +H.sub.2 O) is added there will be no terminal voltage.
When the weak solution of sulfuric acid is added to the green batteries and a D.C. current is passed through the battery from the positive to the negative battery terminal electroformation of the plates occur. Electroformation results in the positive type plate forming into lead dioxide (PBO.sub.2) and the negative type plate forming in sponge lead (PB). The specific gravity of the sulfuric acid solution increases to about 1.275, depending, of course, on battery type and battery manufacture, at the end of the electroformation cycle. The increase in specific gravity of the acid solution indicates a transfer of a sulfur oxide ion contained within the plates combining with hydrogen to form H.sub.2 SO.sub.4.
The intent of the battery manufacture is to electroform the greatest volume of material per plate or electrode as possible to insure the specified life time performance of the battery to the consumer. The above stated description of battery manufacturing is simplified in order to formulate the objective of this invention. The specifics or electrode analysis after electroformation are propietory to the battery manufacture. The intent or object of this invention is to provide a machine, device or system that will surpass the performance of the present or conventional technology that will electroform green (hydro-set) batteries in a manufacturing mode to produce a battery that meets the electrical parameters required for the specific battery group size. The major conventionaly technology presently used in manufacturing batteries is a solid state control system employing silicon controlled rectifiers (SCR) as the power switching devices that commutate on and off at the standard line frequency of 60 hertz. Applicant has discovered that by controlling the power factor, selecting an operating frequency that reduces the size and power loss of the magnetic element, protecting the element from over current surges the overall efficiency of the device is improved.